Social Development and Achievement Motivation

How is social knowledge formed, and how does it affect the social functioning and adaptation of children and adolescents? Most people are familiar with the dramatic accomplishments of young children in learning various cognitive and physical skills, such as language and walking, within a short period of time. By the time children enter school, they have also learned a great deal about their social world, including knowledge about social categories, such as gender and race, and knowledge about other attributes of persons, including authority relationships and roles. My research is concerned with the acquisition of such kinds of social knowledge and its implications for children's identity development, perceptions of competence, choices, and behaviors.

One major focus of my research concerns when and how children's growing knowledge about gender influences their own behaviors. Numerous observations suggest that at around 3-5 years of age, children become very interested in learning how the sexes differ and making sure that they themselves behave in accordance with gender norms. I am examining how both cognitive and socialization processes, such as division of labor in the home, affect the acquisition of knowledge about gender-related stereotypes and norms. I am also examining how this knowledge, in turn, influences the rigidity of children's gender-typed preferences and behaviors across the preschool and early school years.